HI This is Michael Cho's wikipage.
I like basketball and LAKERS

external image bg_nba2008.jpg

Sino-Japanese War
1.How are the Chinese soldiers portrayed in these prints? The Japanese soldiers?

- Chinese soldiers are portrayed as big, but weak beings. Majority of the soldiers are either getting killed or already are killed. On the other hand, Japanese soldiers have a proud, victorious look on their faces. Even the bullets miss them.

2. Look at the weapons used by each side, are they different? How? Does this tell us anything about Japanese technological advancement?

- The Japanese soldiers are using samurai swords, rifles and cannons. The Chinese forces have short swords and arrows, clearly showing how much the Japanese were militarily ahead of the Chinese.

3. Why do sports often become symbolic battlegrounds between nations?

- Many nations like the compete amongst each other and prove that they are the best (nationalism). Winning in a particular game of sports brings honor to the nation.Why does this matter to a people? What do they find so gratifying in the experience of witnessing their team beat another on the arena of sport?

4. Is imperialism/colonialism simply about militarily and politically controlling another nation, or is it also about proving one’s self-perceived cultural superiority over another?

- Imperialism/colonialism is definitely about proving one's self perceived cultural superiority over another also because when a nation takes over another, it naturally transfers their culture to the other. Also, nations have a common goal of proving that their own culture is superior than the preexisting ones.


Ruso-Japanese War

    1. Do artistic renditions or photographs depict the heroics of war better?

The artistic renditions show heroics of war more effectively then photographs because they have vivid colors and show only the best parts, excluding the grimmer, darker parts of war. The black and white photographs of the era have a lot of realism to it and show off the weariness, the pain and the suffering of war, which does not show off much of heroics.

    1. Do artistic renditions or photographs depict the horrors of war better? (Consider all photographs of war that you have seen, both historical and contemporary)

The photographs show the horrors better as it clearly depicts death, destruction and the horrors of battle without censoring.

    1. How does the medium affect the message? Can we say that, __"[T]he medium is the message"__?

The medium has a dramatic effect on the message. If you are trying create support for war, you do not want to show photos of a battlefield because it can send a negative image to the public. Instead, a propaganda poster with vivid colors would do the job better as it can choose certain scenes to depict. Or, you can stage a choreography and significantly edit real photographs and movie footages. With photography and the movies, heavy censorship is used to ensure that the citizens’ moral was eroded.
Yes, medium is the message because it can significantly shape a person’s opinion.

    1. Why is 1905 such a turning point in Japanese and World history? How might history have been different had Japan lost the Russo-Japanese War?

It was the first time in history that a modern, Asian power was able to beat a Western power. It showed that the Japanese was now on par with Western militaries and began its rise as the major power in the East. The ramifications of the Japanese winning the Russo-Japanese War would also go on the influence further events in China in the early-mid 1900’s and WWII. To Korea, it was significant as it marked the beginning of Japanese colonization of Korea.
Had the Japanese lost, their imperial ambitions would have been significantly decreased, as well as their military ambitions. Korea, most likely would’ve fallen under Russian control and China would have had time to modernize with less Japanese influence and control. Also, Japan’s attack on U.S. in WWII would not have happened.


Questions:

1. How are these documents alike? Be specific in showing exactly how they are similar.

Both the Gabo Reform Edicts and the Charter Oath 1896 were designed to give an outline of how the nation will should be altered into modernized nations. Both mention about the abolishment of class system and equality. Jobs that were once looked down upon were now to be looked at equally, and studying was highly encouraged.

2. How are these documents different? Be specific in showing how exactly they are different.

The Gabo Reform Edict still kept the King as the sole leader of the country, while the Charter Oath highly encouraged public discussions to decide on matters. Another difference was that in Japan, anyone with the knowledge and the skill were allowed to work for the government; however, in Korea, people who had the merit were allowed to do so.

3. What, ultimately, is their purpose?

The ultimate purpose of these documents is to establish a foundation for the further reformation/change that is intended to modernize and westernize their nation into a more advanced country.

4. These were very lofty goals for both people to try to achieve. To what degree do you feel the Koreans and the Japanese were able to achieve their objectives?

Looking around at today's society, I think that both the Koreans and Japanese were able to achieve most of the goals mentioned in the documents. Although Korea now is republic than a kingdom, it has applied the system of democracy, providing equality to everyone and allowing people to reach higher ranks in society by their effort. The edict mentioned about how only gifted people were permitted to study; however, now we are given changes to receive education at various levels. Also, as interest of people increased, the variety of jobs increased. In Japan's case particularly, they still have a constitutional monarchy applied, although the Emperor does not have as much power as before. In short, both countries were able to apply most of the statements in the documents.



May 12, 2011. Notes on Queen Min

Isabella Bird

  1. Who was __Isabella Bird__?
she was a renowned writer. She also was a traveler, enjoying traveling to distant areas that are not yet known much.

  1. What were Ms. Bird's first impressions of Queen Min?
Queen Min had grace and novelty. She was impressed at her regalness too. .

She says she was a “nice-looking slender woman”
She was charismatic, with great intelligence and leadership.

c. What might the clothes and jewelry worn by Queen Min tell us about her view of
her place in Korean society?
The clothing/jewelry she wore shows that she was a high ranked person.
on top of the society. -> controlling the people.
d. Which personal characteristics of the Queen tell us about what kind of woman she
was?
repeatedly discusses her beauty
intelligent, influential, kind of beautiful. -> kind?
not necessarily seductive but she might have used her beauty for different fuction
e. Which personal characteristic of the Queen's do you feel is the most revealing?
Why?
f. Would you like to have met Queen Min? Why or why not?

Queen Min
a. Who was Queen Min?
born in 1851 from a poor family age 14

b. Why was she chosen to be queen?
taewonkun did not want the queen from a powerful family.

c. Was this a wise choice? From whose viewpoint?
From our perspective, she tried to modernize Korea and maintain independence, thus it was a wise choice, although it brought conflict inside the government

d. How did she try to maintain Korea's independence? Did she succeed?
She tried to incorporate different foreign powers to compete, trying to push out Japan.

e. What can her death tell us about the measures imperialists will take to ensure their interests?
f. Do you admire her? Why or why not?
Yes. She has done such things that a normal woman at that time would not even dream of.



Korean History Timeline


Works Cited
" Tonghak Rebellion KoreanHistory.info Korean History." KoreanHistory.info A history of Korea from prehistoric to modern times, korean history quiz, korean history mp3s and more .. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://koreanhistory.info/Tonghak.htm>.
"Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2011. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan–Korea_Treaty_of_1876>.
"Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2011. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan–Korea_Treaty_of_1910>.